Inhaler.



W. R. THATCHER & H. DIXON. INHALEB. APPLICATION men NOV. 20. 1 914.

1 1 92,357. Patented July 25, 1916.

Walter)? Thatcher Hen/74 'xonf INVENTORS WITNESSES 9J7;

ATTORNEY entrain snares rarmvr ornrca.

WALTER R. THATOHER, OF OSKALOOSA, IOWA, AND HENRY DIXON, 0F DAYTON, OHIO.

INHALEE.

Application filed November 20, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WALTER R. Tnn'ronnn and HENRY DIXON, citizens of the United States, residing at Oskaloosa, in the county of Mahaska and State of Iowa, and Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State ofOhio, respectively, have invented a new and useful Inhaler, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in inhalers.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of inhalers and to provide a simple, eflicient, and comparatively inexpensive device of strong and durable construction, adapted to enable a medicament to be applied to the affected parts of the throat and lungs in the form of medicated air or vapor, and capable of being readily closed when not in use to retain the strength of the medicament.

A further objectof the invention is to provide an inhaler of this character provided with a filling orifice and equipped thereat with an air tube capable of ready removal for filling, emptying, and cleaning the medicament receptacle, and adapted to conduct air to the lower portion of the said receptacle to thoroughly subject the air to the action of the contents of the receptacle before being inhaled by the patient.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing, and pointed out in the claims appended hereto, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing :Figure 1 is a side elevation of an inhaler constructed in accordance with this invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the same on an enlarged scale, the heater being omitted. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the same, the nozzle being removed and closure caps being applied to the air tube and to the nipple on which the nozzle is fitted. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the air tube.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawing. T l

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1916.

Serial No. 873,202.

In the accompanying drawing, in which is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention, 1 designates an outer container or receptacle designed to contain water and having an open top 2 and provided thereat 'with an annular band or ring 3, secured within the open top of the outer receptacle 1 and projecting above the same. The annular band or ring 3, which is constructed of sheet metal or other suitable material, is tapered to correspond with the taper of an inner medicament receptacle 4, which fits within the ring or band and is supported by the same above the bottom of the outer receptacle to provide an intervening water space so that the lower portion of the inner receptacle will be entirely surrounded by the water contained within the outer receptacle.

The inner receptacle, which is preferably tapered, as shown, is provided with a dome shaped top 5 adapted to collect the vapor generated having a filling orifice 6 at one side and provided at the opposite side with an outlet nipple 7 arranged at an inclination and adapted to receive either a metallic section 8 of a nozzle 9 or a closure cap 10. The outlet nipple 7 is so arranged upon the dome 5 that the base of the nipple 7 merges into the dome at substantially the highest point of the latter, so that the vapor which collects in the dome is not pocketed therein, but passes immediately upwardly into the nipple 7. The nipple 7 is tapered and the section 8, which may be made of metal or other suitable material, and which is separable from the inner receptacle to facilitate packing, storing, and shipping, is tapered to fit the nipple 7 and also to receive the inner end of the nozzle 9, which may be constructed of soft rubber or any other'suitable material. The closure cap 10 is adapted to be placed on the nipple 7 when the nozzle is removed, as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawing. The inner receptacle is provided at the filling orifice with an annular inclined flange or filling nipple 11, through which extends an air tube 12 provided at its upper end with a filler cap 13 fitted on the inclined flange or nipple 11 and provided with a central opening 14 at which the upper end of the tube 12 is secured.

It will be noted, from Fig. 2 of the drawings, that the tube 12 extends downwardly and centrally within the container 4 to a point near the bottom of the container and at about the middle ofthe same. The tube V 12 is thus tilted to conduct the air down to the middle of the body of the medicament to thoroughly and evenly distribute the air throughout the body thereof. This tilting of the tube '12 also insures the easy flow of the air downwardly through the tube and upwardly into the liquid from the tilted lower end of the tube.

The cap consists of a top portion or disk and an outer annular portion or flange 18 which is removably fitted on the projecting nipple or flange 11. The tube 12, which is arranged at an inclination, extends to within a short distance of the bottom of the inner receptacle, and air entering the inhaler through the tube 12 is caused to pass upward through and become saturated with the medlcament or other material contained IVltlllIl the inner receptacle. When the device is not in use, the upper end of the air tube is closed'by a closure cap 15, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing.

- In the use of the device the outer receptacle is partially filled with water and is placed upon a heater '16, which is preferably in the form of an alcohol lamp or similar device. with the desired medicament, and the nozzle is placed on the nipple 7 and the air tube is placed in the nipple or flange 11. The lamp heats the water contained within the outer receptacle and vaporizes the medicament contained within the inner receptacle,

and the air and vapor passing through the nozzle are medicated and are applied to the affected parts of the throat and lungs of a patient without irritation.

What is claimed is:

1. An inhaler comprising a water container, a medicament receptacle projecting into the container, a dome closing the top of the receptacle, a filling nipple at one side of the dome for filling the receptacle and being outwardly and upwardly inclined to pre-- vent the formation of air and vapor pockets, a filler cap fitting over said nipple to close the same, an air tube mounted on the filler cap and extending therethrough at an angle down- The inner receptacle is supplied wardly and centrally into the bottomof the receptacle to admit the easy discharge of air to the central portion of the body of the medicament for uniform distribution of air throughout the same, a closure cap fitting over the filler cap to close the air tube, an outlet nipple leading from the top of the dome to carry off all of the vapor rising therein, and to prevent air and vapor pockets in the top of the dome, and a second nipple projecting from the the opposite side.

of the dome and openingat its base into the top of the dome for carrying off vapor collecting therein, a nozzle detachably connected to the outlet nipple to conduct vapor to a point of discharge, a filler cap de tachably engaging over the filling nipple to close the same, an air tube carried by the filler cap opening at its outer end through the top of the cap and projecting at an angle downwardly and centrally into the bottom of the receptacle to uniformly distribute air throughout the body of the medicament, and to insure the free passage of air from the lower end of the tube, a heater for the outer receptacle, and closure caps for the filler cap and the outlet nipple to close the air tube and the outlet nipple, and to prevent evaporation of the medicament when not in use.

In testimony, that we claim the foregoing as our own, we havehereto afiiXed our signatures in the presence of two Witnesses.

l/VALTER R. THATGHER. HENRY DIXON. Witnesses:

EDWARD H. Sorrnonnn, SAMUEL W. DIXON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. I 

